Just In Blood
by Carnivorous Llama
Summary: Harry Potter is the heir of Slytherin.
1. I: In Which Harry Runs A Lot

**Author's Note:**  
Each chapter of this fic was written as part of the HBP Challenge at the PanicParables RR Group. Therefore each chapter will be added per month or so. They might be expanded in the meantime, though. -)

I warn you, though, that I exercise every last bit of literary freedom in the challenges though...

**January Challenge:**  
What if Snape had caught Harry when he was hiding under his invisibility cloak? Write a fic where Snape does catch Harry.

* * *

_**Chapter 1**  
In which Harry runs a lot and learns something startling_

So Harry did the only thing he could possibly think of. He ran.

Making a quick about face, Harry sprinted in the opposite direction. As his shoes slapped against the stone walkways, the sound echoing through the hall, Harry could hear the teachers' shouts of surprise behind him. Much too soon for his taste,

If nothing else, Harry was fast. Growing up in a household where the most popular sport is called "Harry Hunting," a game of keep-away between a small undernourished child and a group of bullies, speed was a necessity. As a result, Harry had grown incredibly adept at scaling walls of gardens, hopping short fences, and running. Quickly.

Harry sprinted through the halls, deftly navigating the stone walls and sharp corners. He heard his name, followed by a series of muffled curses, somewhere behind him, along with a crash as one of his pursuers misjudged a corner and ran into a suit of armor. So they knew who he was? No problem. Harry pulled off the cloak, as it was just slowing him down, and sprinted onwards.

Reaching the staircases just as one of them was moving, he sprinted to the end and jumped downwards onto the next one, never missing a beat nor slowing down. Filch cursed above him as he was forced to stop and figure out how to get onto the floor that Harry was now on.

Soon he was on the second floor. He could hear Snape close behind him  the greasy git must've used a secret passage, he was _way_ too close for comfort  and, to his growing horror, voices from ahead:

"Listen! He's just around the corner!"

"Don't worry, Mr Filch, we'll get him."

Making a split-second decision, he ducked to the left... and found himself in the girl's bathroom.

A ghost with silvery tear-tracks running down her face sniffed at him and said, "You're not supposed to be here."

"I know," Harry replied, breathing heavily. "But I'm out past curfew and needed to hide somewhere."

He glanced around quickly, looking for an alternate escape route. The teachers weren't stupid  they'd figure out he was in here soon. With a sigh, he placed his hands on the rim of the sink, gazing down at the faucet. Someone, a long time ago, had scratched a tiny little snake on the copper faucet. It was a rather cute little snake. Without taking his eyes off of it, he whispered, "I need to get out of here."

There was a faint rumble from the castle, and then the floor opened up beneath him and he fell.

* * *

Harry landed on a hard stone surface, deep underground. Bending his knees slightly, he absorbed his hard impact and rolled on the balls of his feet to stay upright  a reflex honed to perfection during years of Harry Hunting.

Glancing around, Harry wondered where in Merlin's name the castle had decided to send him. There was no sign of whatever entrance Harry had used to get in. The room was perfectly circular, and had a domed roof. There was a rounded archway before him, leading out into darkness. Otherwise, the walls were bare  discounting two torches that burned smokelessly  and there were no other openings.

Vaguely disconcerted, Harry called out, "Hello? Is anyone in here?"

There was no reply, only the sound of hissing wind off somewhere in the distance. Taking a deep breath, Harry stepped through the opening and walked through the twisting tunnel. The dark passageway terminated in a large room.

The chamber was very long and dimly lit. Glancing up, Harry couldn't see the ceiling for the shadows. Tall stone columns, decorated with large carved snakes, lined the sides of the central walkway. Harry peered around, uneasy with the strange greenish gloomy light that seemed to fill the area and yet seemed to come from nowhere in particular.

The sides of the chamber were shrouded in darkness. For a second, it seemed as though the strange light glistened off of something ... but then, it was gone, and Harry decided it must've been a trick of the light ... right?

"Hello?" he called out, walking forward. His voice reverberated around, echoing from one stone wall to another, bringing his shout right back to him.

"_Massssster..._" came a hiss from the darkness behind Harry.

Spinning on his heel, Harry fumbled for his wand, which was stuffed haphazardly in his pocket. "Who's there?" he called, pointing his wand at the darkness and willing his hand to stop trembling. "Who are you?"

"_Master has returned,_" the his replied. "_I am Slaris, your faithful servant._"

Harry could feel the cold sweat that was gathering at his hairline. Clearing his throat, he called back, "Step into the light, where I can see you, Slaris."

"_Of course, Master,_"came the reply.

And then, something was moving. Something huge, colossal. He caught glimpses of sleek, shining dark scales, glinting in the oddly tinted half-light. And then...

... then he was staring into the eyes of the biggest snake he had ever set eyes on.  
"_Greetings, Master,_" Slaris hissed. "_Here I am._"

Finding that his mouth was just a bit dry, Harry swallowed twice and cleared his throat. "Um, hi, Slaris," he replied, hoping he sounded much braver than he felt. "Er, why can I understand you?"

Slaris made a strange noise that sounded like a coughing hiss. "_Master can understand me because he is the Master._" it replied, obviously amused.

"I, uh, don't understand."

"_Master is the Heir, of course,_" Slaris replied with another hissed chuckle.

Really not liking the direction of this conversation, Harry tried to plan his next question diplomatically as possible. He felt like he had when Hagrid had come to rescue him from the Dursleys, feeling like the person had obviously got the wrong person but unsure of how to express this. Unfortunately, Slaris was more prone to eating him than Hagrid was. "And do you know who's Heir I am, Slaris?" he asked.

The huge scaly head gave a nod. "_Of course, Master. Slaris remembers the first Master well. Slaris keeps her promise to first Master. Only listens to true blood heirs. If Slaris begins to forget, Slaris only looks to great picture of Master._"

As she said this Slaris nodded her head at the wall directly to Harry's right. Curiosity piqued at who exactly he was supposedly the Heir of, Harry pointed his wall at the darkness, and quietly incanted, "_Lumos._"

And in the soft white light from his wand, an astonished Harry saw for the first time the one man from whom he was descended, carved into the stone wall in all his glory. He looked just like he did on the Hogwarts: A History page that Hermione had insisted that he look at.

"Salazar Slytherin," he breathed.

Slaris was nodding her head. "_Yes, the first Master. You are the Heir. That is why you understand me  you speak the snake tongue. None but the Blood Heir can do so._"

Harry was blinking at the statue, only half-aware of what Slaris was saying. "I'm the _Heir of Slytherin_?" he asked incredulously. "There must be some mistake  I'm a _Gryffindor_"

"_Blood is never wrong,_" Slaris hissed, sounding uncannily like Draco Malfoy. "_Snake Speak is a blood gift to the Blood Heir. None but the Blood Heirs can use it._" Suddenly, she looked uncomfortable... for a snake. "_Master should keep secret. House of Slytherin has been defamed, Master must restore the former glory._"

Harry turned to stare at Slaris. His brain seemed to be operating in a fog, interpreting the information, but unable to reply. But his mental comparison of Slaris to Draco Malfoy snapped him out of it.

Eyes wide, Harry gasped. "Slaris! I need to get back to the Gryffindor Common Room  the teachers are looking for me for being out of bounds after curfew!"

Slaris nodded to the great statue, now once more enshrouded in darkness. "_Tell the statue, Master. It will send you._" With a parting hiss, she disappeared once more into the darkness.

Feeling quite alone, Harry stepped up to the great statue. "Erm, greetings Lord Slytherin," he began self-consciously. "Erm, I'm your Heir apparently, and I'm in a bit of trouble. I need to get back to bed in the Gryffindor first year dorms so "

And before he could say another word, the floor opened up beneath him, and he dropped onto his bed in Gryffindor tower.

Breathing a sigh of relief, he climbed under the covers and lay his head down onto the pillow. Suddenly, the door burst open, and light flooded the boys' dorm. Snape's tall figure was siloutted in the doorway. Squinting hard, Harry could barely make out his snarling face. "Potter," he began in a growl.

"Severus Snape! What on _Earth_ are you doing?" came Professor McGonogall's voice from somewhere behind him. She joined him in the doorway, wearing a night-gown and sleeping cap.

"Minerva, Potter was out of bounds after curfew -"

McGonogall stared at Snape as though he had grown a second head. "What _are_ you going on about, Severus? Potter is in his bed, not out of bounds. I am alerted whenever someone enters through the portrait hole after midnight, and so far, you have been the only person to do so," she stated matter-of-factly, sounding uncannily like Hermione.

"But I _saw_ him -"

McGonogall _harrumphed_. "Unless he's discovered a new way into the Gryffindor Common Room, other than through the portrait hole, Harry is innocent," she said in a voice that brooked no argument.

Snape left with a snarl. McGonogall peered into the room, and gave Harry a small smile when she caught his eye. Then she closed the door, and the room was once more plunged into darkness.


	2. II: In Which Harry Keeps a Secret

**Author's Note:**  
Read Ch 1's author's note please. Just keep in mind that these were actually written to be stand-alone ficlets... drabbles if you may... or perhaps vignettes? Dunno... not originally to be one long consecutive story. I might go back and make it nice and smooth and all ...

I have taken some liberties with the timeline by the way. Harry finds the diary _after_ Hermione has been petrified.

**February Challenge:**  
Write a fic where Harry actually is the Heir of Slytherin.

* * *

**_Chapter 2_**  
_In Which Harry Keeps a Secret and Get Very Angry_  


**_   
_**

Harry didn't tell anyone about what the giant snake had told him. He kept the secret close to his heart, even as he faced down his parents' killer.

It wasn't until he heard the voice, the hissing, in the walls, that he considered telling somebody. It sounded so much like Slaris, but at the same time different... but he couldn't really explain that, could he? That his good friend, the giant snake hidden underneath the girls' bathroom, was wandering through the walls, hissing about killing and maiming and tearing...

He decided to keep quiet and try to forget the incident. But then, the message appeared on the wall and he couldn't keep his silence any longer.

_The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the Heir beware_.

Even as he stared at the bloody, dripping letters, Filch's screaming washing over him, Harry could only think that there was obviously something very wrong going on here at school.

But he didn't get a chance to go down and talk to Slaris for quite some time. After that first message appeared, the bludger from hell, and that fiasco with the duelling club, everything around Harry seemed to speed up to a whirlwind-like frenzy. It was only when Hermione lay unconscious in the hospital wing that Harry resolved to go down and talk to Slaris.

When he entered the girls' bathroom, there was a good two inches of water on the ground. Sobbing was coming from one of the stalls. Having officially been introduced to Moaning Myrtle when the trio had snuck in to brew the polyjuice potion, Harry knew that she was probably the source of the crying.

"Myrtle?" Harry called out, sloshing through the water towards the stall. "Is that you?"

There was a sniffle and a hiccup, and Myrtle drifted out of her stall. "Harry?"

Harry smiled at the ghost. "Hi Myrtle," he said. "What's wrong?"

Myrtle sniffed again. "Somebody started throwing books at me again," she wailed. "Fifty points if you can get it though her nose!"

Harry winced as the toilet behind Myrtle gave a loud _Glugg!_ and spewed some more water into the air. "I'm very sorry, Myrtle," he said sincerely. "Did you see who did it?"

"No."

"Oh. Where's the book then?" Harry asked. "Maybe we can figure out who threw it."

Myrtle sniffed again and pointed behind herself into the stall. There, floating in the toilet bowl, was a small, black book. Harry picked it up and nearly dropped it in surprise. Even though it had been in the toilet for an indeterminable ammount of time, it was still bone dry.

"It's got some sort of water-repelling charm on it," Harry told Myrtle, who was looking at him strangely. He flipped open the book, and was surprised to find it empty. On the back was written the address of a stationary store on Vauxhall road. "It looks like a diary," Harry told Myrtle at length. "Muggleborn, probably, since it was bought on Vauxhall road. I wonder why someone would throw a blank diary at you?"

Myrtle shrugged and looked at him with watery eyes. "Everybody hates me," she mumbled. "Maybe it's an enchanted diary."

Harry brightened. "Right!" he exclaimed. "Let me just get some ink... and a quill..."

He walked over to the sinks and balanced the diary carefully on one as he rummaged through his rucksack to find the necessary supplies. Myrtle floated over at watched him, sniffling occasionally.

Finally finding a mostly-full bottle of black ink, Harry quickly wet the quill and wrote in the diary _"Hello_."

As the two watched, the ink was absorbed into the page. Then words became visible on the page. _Hello. My name is Tom Marvolo Riddle. Who are you?_

Beside him, Myrtle gave a little gasp. Harry turned to her in surprise and asked, "What's wrong?"

"That boy, Tom," she replied. "He was a Slytherin when I was in school. A prefect. After I died, he was the one who found the Heir."

Harry's eyes widened. "Who was it, Myrtle?" he asked. "What happened?"

Myrtle stared at him. "You want to know how I died? No one's ever asked me how I died."

Harry nodded. Myrtle then told him about opening the door to the stall and seeing the giant yellow eyes. "And after that? Then what?" Harry asked. "What happened with Riddle and the Heir?"

Myrtle sniffled once. And then again. Then she said, "I was still in shock from realizing that I was dead. I floated around the school, invisible, just watching." Harry nodded and prompted for her to continue. "I heard commotion on the grounds, and I went outside to see what was going on. Headmaster Dippet was there, with Professor Dumbledore and some Aurors. They were arresting Rubeus Hagrid."

Harry stared at her. "Hagrid?" he gasped out in a strangled-sounding voice. "That can't be right..." he trailed off, staring into space.

"Let's find out what's really going on, eh, Myrtle?" Harry growled, eyes flashing in annoyance. Picking up his quill once more, he scribbled _"Are you still there?"_

_ Yes, I am still here. Who are you?_

With a smirk on his face, Harry wrote back_ "I am the Heir of Slytherin."_

Without giving the diary a chance to reply, he continued writing rapidly. "_I have been speaking with Myrtle, the girl who was killed the first time the Chamber was opened. She tells me that you told everyone that it was Hagrid who opened the Chamber the first time. "_

_It is true_. Came the reply. _Would you like to see?_

_"Please_."

And with a flash of white light, Harry was sucked into the memory.

* * *

Harry reappeared in the bathroom with a splash after watching the memory. Myrtle was staring at him incredulously, jaw hanging open slightly. Harry angrily picked up the quill and wrote in the diary. "_You lie_."

_I do not lie_. Came the immediate reply. _You saw my memories. Rubeus Hagrid opened the Chamber. After he was expelled the Chamber was closed_.

Harry snorted, uncaring of the fact that the diary could obviously not see him. _"You lie. The monster that Hagrid was raising was a spider. I have it on good authority that the monster in the Chamber is a giant snake."_

There was a pause. And then more words appeared. _You have seen her?_

Harry turned to Myrtle, eyes glinting strangely in the half-light of the bathroom. "Now I've got him. I've _got him_, Myrtle," he whispered.

If anything, this only served to make Myrtle look more confused than before. "What?"

"Just watch," Harry told her, and scribbled "_So you were the Heir that opened the chamber."_

_ I was not!_ came the agitated reply. _You have seen my memories, everything that happened then. Rubeus Hagrid opened the Chamber of Secrets!_

_ "Then how did you know that the monster was a female, eh?_" wrote back Harry. "_You forget who you speak to Riddle. I am the Heir of Slytherin. The monster is a snake, not a spider. The monster is a female, not a male._

_ "And since I know that a diary cannot open the Chamber and control the one inside of it, you must be posessing someone._" Harry added. _"Who have you posessed, Riddle? Is it Ginny Weasley? She's always writing in a little black diary."_

There was another pause. And then the words appeared once more. _You do not know of what you speak_.

_"Ah, it is Ginny. Thank you Mister Riddle. Now I think it's high time that you and I go have a little talk with Headmaster Dumbledore."_

Without waiting for a reply, Harry slammed the little book shut. Packing away the quill and inkwell and tucking the diary under his arm, Harry turned to Myrtle and said, "Thank you very much for your help, Myrtle. You've helped save a lot of lives today."

Myrtle batted her eyelashing at him. "Thank you, Harry. Come and visit some time, okay?"

Harry gave her a grin and ducked out into the hall.

* * *

There was such a pandemonium in the corridor outside of the bathroom, Harry felt an odd urge to duck back inside - to hell with anyone who wanted to make a fuss about him being in a _girls'_ bathroom.

"Harry!"

Harry turned to see who had yelled his name, just in time for Ron to run smack into him, sending his rucksack and the diary spilling to the floor. Ron looked positively terrified, eyes wild, hair more mussed than usual. "What's wrong, Ron?" he asked, uncaring of the press of people around them.

"It's Dumbledore," Ron gasped out. "The board of governors - they've suspended him!"

Harry's eyes widened. "What?" he gasped out. Was the board out of its mind?

"We're all gonna die!" someone down the hall shrieked.

Suddenly Harry remembered the diary. Dropping to his knees, he scooped up his rucksack and peered around for the small black book. Where was it? Somebody ran into Harry, sending him sprawling, and also reminding him that he was trying to search for something on the floor while other terrified students were stampeding around like mad.

As Ron hauled him to his feet, Harry asked, "Where are the other professors? Why is everyone so terrified?"

"It's Malfoy," Ron replied, propelling Harry down the hall in the direction of the common room. "He's been spreading rumours about how the Heir is going to kill all the muggle-borns now that Dumbledore isn't here to protect them. The professors... I dunno... I think they're complaining to the board."

As they fought their way to the common room, the little black book and its terrible secret were completely banished from Harry's mind.

* * *

They gone to see Hermione and Harry had discovered a piece of paper in her petrified hand. On it was a passage about basilisks...

"A basilisk!" Ron gasped, face contorting in horror. "That's what must be in the Chamber! It all makes sense now. Look!" he pointed to a line and read it aloud. "_... The crowing of the rooster ... is fatal to it!_ Hagrid's roosters were killed. And then this! _Spiders flee before it!_ Harry! It all fits!"

Harry tried to look appropriately surprised and attempted to hide the fact that he already knew what the creature was. "We need to tell McGonogall," he said at length, when he couldn't think up an appropriate response.

Ron nodded. "Right." He glanced at his watch. "We've got twenty minutes until classes are over. I'll go to the staff room and give this to McGonogall." he waved the wrinkled bit of parchment in the air. "And you can go find Lockhart."

Harry froze, halfway to the door. "_Lockhart?_" he asked incredulously. "Why should we bother telling _that_ fraud?"

"Well, he _is_ the defense professor... and Dumbledore wouldn't've hired him if he were totally a fake..."

Harry snorted before yanking open the door and sprinting down the hall.

* * *

He had only made it halfway to Lockhart's office before McGonogall's magnified voice echoed through the halls, ordering all students back to their common rooms. Harry immediately reversed his direction and began sprinting for Myrtle's bathroom. He passed Lockhart at one point, white-faced and sprinting towards the main gates, but he ignored the Defense professor and instead concentrated on making his legs move as fast as was humanly possible.

Myrtle was floating in the center of the bathrooom when he burst into the room. "I knew you'd come, Harry!" she exclaimed as he skidded in order to keep from running into her. "It was awful - her eyes were glowing this awful red color. She whispered something and jumped through an opening in the sinks."

Harry nodded, trying desperately to catch his breath. "Thanks, Myrtle. Listen, I'm going to try to save her. I need you to find Dumbledore and McGonogall and tell them that the monster is a basilisk and that I've gone to save Ginny from Tom Riddle." At Myrtle's nod, Harry walked over to the sink with the small carved snake. As an afterthought, he said, "Tell them about the diary... just not about me being an Heir. OK?"

Then he turned back to the carving, concentrated, and hissed, "I need to get out of here."

Harry felt a bit of deja vu as there came a faint rumble from the castle, and the floor opened up beneath him, and he fell.

* * *

He landed in the same room he had landed in previously. Already aware that neither Riddle nor Slaris would be in the small antechamber, Harry sprinted down the long, winding tunnel.

Suddenly, Slaris's head reared up before him, startling him so badly that his foot caught on a slippery stone and he landed flat on his back before the monstrous basilisk. "_Slaris!_" he exclaimed.

If it were possible, the snake's eyes opened even wider than before. "_Master!_" she hissed. "_Good Master has returned."_

Harry let out a sigh of relief. "Yes, I've returned Slaris. Is Riddle in the main chamber?"

"_The Dark Heir is there, with the Flame-girl."_

"Ginny!" Harry scrambled to his feet. "Is she ok? Wait - you haven't been the one petrifying people, have you?"

Slaris shook her large head. "_No, Master. The Dark Heir, he possessed the Flame-girl and forced her to resurrect him and the spirit of his memory of me._"

Harry felt his eyes go wide. So the basilisk that's been attacking the students, that's Riddle's _memory _of the basilisk? he asked in astonishment.

_"Yes Master. I am faithful only to you, the True Master."_

You will fight only for me, then, Slaris? Harry asked, feeling quite relieved.

_"Yes, Master."_

Harry nodded and squared his shoulders. With a deep breath, he stepped around Slaris's large body and entered the Chamber of Secrets.

* * *

The first thing he noticed was that all of the wall sconces were lit. Never having had the pleasure to see the Chamber fully alight, Harry paused in the archway to peer around the room. It could do with a good cleaning, Harry finally surmised, and wondered for an instant how hard it would be to convince the house elves to come do some house cleaning for a basilisk.

The second thing Harry noticed was Ginny Weasley's deathly-pale body laying in the center of the floor, a very familiar black book lying next to her out-stretched hand. The third thing he noticed was a tall, black haired teenager wearing a Hogwarts robe standing over Ginny's body, facing the opposite direction.

It was past time for thoughts about house elves and basilisks, Harry decided, and it was high time that he make his presence known.

Stepping into the room, Harry called out in a voice that sounded much more confident than he really was, "Tom Riddle, I presume?"

The tall boy spun around on his heel, drawing his wand at the same time. At seeing Harry, his eyes widened fractionally. "So you're the one who stole Slaris from me," he said with a sneer.

Harry smirked at him. "Of course," he replied. "She no longer follows anyone but the _True_ Heir."

With a barked laugh, Riddle exclaimed, "Fool! _I_ am the True Heir! Watch!" Using his wand, Riddle wrote out the words _I AM LORD VOLDEMORT_ in fiery letters in the air. With a flick of his wand, the letters rearranged themselves to read _TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE_. "Do you not see? _I _am the Heir, the True Heir, the only one worth enough to follow in the footsteps of the great Salazar Slytherin!"

Harry ignored him. "Oooh," he said mockingly. "Are we playing the anagram game? I can play _that_ too." He used his wand to write out _ROT HER PARTY_. Jerking a thumb at it and ignoring Riddle's enraged expression, Harry said, "See? I can make a stupid-sounding phrase out of my name too." Another flick of his wand, and the letters rearranged themselves to read _HARRY POTTER._

Riddle's face contorted with fury. "_You-_"

Harry laughed at the other teen. "_I_ am the True Heir, Riddle, not you," he roared aloud, voice booming and echoing throughout the stone chamber. "After all, the True Heir will reign undefeated. Look at yourself, killed by an _infant_. Thwarted again by an _eleven-year-old_. You are a shadow of your former glory, while I have not yet reached my prime. Tell me now, mudblood, who is the greater of us two?"

After a few seconds of an admirable fish impression, Riddle once again attempted to compose himself and hissed, "_Slaris, serve your master. Slay this usurper!"_

A rustling was heard, then from the far end of the Chamber came slithering a basilisk who could have been Slaris's double. With a slight start, Harry realized that not only _was_ this Slaris's double, but, for all intents and purposes, Slaris herself. Harry smirked again. "_Slaris, come protect the True Heir!_" he called out.

From behind him came an answering rustle, and the battle was met. Two identical basilisks, equally armed, equally set, equally vicious, and equally angry.

Harry found it morbidly amusing. Riddle, going by the look upon his face, did not.

A screech distracted the two humans from the two snakes. Glancing up, Harry saw to his surprise Dumbledore's phoenix flying towards him, carrying what appeared to be the Sorting Hat. When the bird landed upon his shoulder and offered him the tattered piece of felt, Harry realized that it _was_ the Sorting Hat... though it felt awful heavy for that to be all that it really was.

Never taking his eyes off of Riddle's wand, Harry cautiously reached inside and pulled out the first object that his hand made contact with. It was a long thin sword with the name _GRYFFINDOR_ inscribed along the blade.

Moving towards the center of the chamber where Ginny lay, in order to avoid the battling serpents, Harry stared at the sword in confusion. "What the hell are you playing at, Dumbledore?" he murmured. "Gryffindor's sword? Right. It's better than rabbits, though."

He heard Riddle's chocked laugh as the other recognized the muggle reference, but he ignored it as he thought of something. Pretending to be thinking hard about something, he abled over to Ginny's still body and peered down at her, then turned to face Riddle. Holding the sword loosely with one hand, Harry commented casually, "You know, neither of the basilisks is going to win."

Riddle jerked his head around to glare at him. "How so?" he asked suspiciously.

"Well, they're the same creature, really. Equally matched in every way, shape, and form, they think the same, plan the same, react the same, defend the same. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Neither can win while the other survives."

Riddle just smirked. "Well, we'll just have to kill your basilisk, eh?" he crowed, raising his wand.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Actually, I was planning on just killing you," he replied in the same casual tone as he stabbed downward with the sword, impaling the black diary.

White light erupted from a whole that had suddenly appeared in Riddle's chest. One of the basilisks glowed white and began to shrivel, as if acid had been poured upon it. Riddle screamed at reached out, clawing, trying to grab at Harry, but the Gryffindor just smirked at him before turning to Slaris and hissing, "Go hide, Slaris. We can't afford to have Ginny see you."

As Slaris disappeared down a tunnel, Harry heard a moan from near his boot. Dropping to his knees, he grapsed Ginny's hand. "Ginny? Ginny? Can you hear me?" he asked, concern evident in his voice. "It's all right now, Ginny. Everything's all right now."


End file.
